The Long Road to Perfection for a ’93 GMC Sonoma

Mike Self . January 31, 2024 . Chevrolet

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A GMC with Chevy Tendencies

It takes a lot to set a mini-truck apart from the rest in a sea of show participants—a lot of vision, a lot of time, a lot of money and, unfortunately, a lot of setbacks.

David Pennington, Jr., knows this all too well, but after 16 long years of work, he can also add a lot of something else: pride. His ’93 GMC Sonoma has been a project for a while now, but he’s finally finished it up, and it’s ready for the world to see!

David’s journey with his truck began when he purchased it from a local car lot after seeing his brother’s S-10 taking shape. His first modification was to lower the truck to the ground with air ride, which he accomplished with the help of Phil Fowler of Drop Werks in Newark, Delaware, who used ThorBros parts. That satiated David for a while, but before long he realized that he wouldn’t be happy with the Sonoma until he customized it further—a lot further. A quick call to his buddy Matt for some help yielded shaved handles, a molded roll pan, and even suicide doors!

Again, David was happy with the progress and drove the truck to a few shows, but then Eric Saliba from Little Shop Mfg. (then Little Shop of Horrors) appeared out of nowhere to entice him to cut up his truck even more. That, or David stopped by Eric’s shop to ask about a body drop—we forget which. Anyway, the Sonoma was eventually brought to the shop, where Eric and his talented crew built the 2×3 box-tubing chassis to accomplish a stock-floor body drop, and also added an Accuair E-level to update the air suspension. The next step was yanking the stock 4.3L V-6 and 700R4 to make way for an ’04 Pontiac GTO LS1 engine attached to a 4L60E transmission.

The Little Shop crew also grafted an ’04 Chevy Colorado frontend to the Sonoma’s fenders, as well as fitting Colorado taillights to the rear, to give it an updated new look. For the interior, Eric installed a ’59 Chevy car dashboard to add some retro vibes to the cabin. At some point, the truck received its classy 22-inch Bonspeed Tsunami wheels, adding a whole new dimension to the Sonoma’s evolving look.

As the years went on, David worked on his Sonoma every chance he got, improving it one piece at a time with the help of friends. Custom door panels were made to blend the dash into the doors, and Bobby Moore at EVO Creatives handled the upholstery on the cut-down factory seating and interior panels. Dave at After Hours Fab helped clean up the now-powdercoated chassis by running all of the wiring through the framerails, and he even built a custom firewall and wheel tubs for the truck before Rusty Townsend at Igloo Customs doused it with PPG Mineral Metallic paint, after which Darren Ives followed up with green and butterscotch-colored pinstriping.

David’s truck has come a long way since he first purchased it. The truck has been transformed from a stock ’93 GMC Sonoma to a custom truck that is sure to turn heads. David’s truck is a testament to the fact that with a lot of vision, a lot of time, and a lot of money, anything is possible. David’s truck is a reflection of his passion for custom trucks and his dedication to his craft. David’s truck is a work of art that he can be proud of for years to come.